Require the Secretary of State to make provision to extend the system of parental responsibility agreements to enable a kinship carer to obtain parental responsibility for a child they are raising without having to bring a case to court; and for connected purposes.

Be it enacted by the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

1Application of provisions

(1)The Children Act 1989 is amended as follows.

(2)After section 4A insert—

“4BAcquisition of parental responsibility by relative

(1)5A relative shall acquire parental responsibility for a child if the relative and the parent or parents who have parental responsibility for the child make an agreement providing for him or her to have parental responsibility for the child.

(2)An agreement under subsection (1) is also a “parental responsibility 10agreement”, and section 4(2) applies in relation to such agreements as it applies in relation to parental responsibility agreements under section 4.

(3)A parental responsibility agreement under subsection (1) may only be brought to an end by an order of the court made on the application—

(a)15of any person who has parental responsibility for the child; or

(b)with the leave of the court, of the child himself.

(4)The court may only grant leave under subsection (3)(b) if it is satisfied that the child has sufficient understanding to make the proposed application.”